Apricot Cultivation Guide: Here's a Step-By-Step Guide to Apricot Farming

Apricot is a sweet and delicious fruit. Apricots are one of those kinds which are self-fruitful, meaning they don’t need any pollination partner. Apricots have been planted and cultivated for many centuries. It is a familiar fruit in the cuisines of many countries. Apricots need plenty of water and summers to grow well as it is a Mediterranean crop. Apricots are suited to moderate winters but not harsh ones. Low humidity or dry weather is ideal and is good.  

Weather and site to grow apricots: 

• The soil and site are the most important factors to grow apricots as there are several factors related to these that impact the process. Apricots bloom in early spring and planting them where there is late spring can be risky.  

• They need chill hours of 600-900 every year at temperatures of 0 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius. Temperatures below 0 degrees are harmful to apricots. The ideal summer temperatures are 37C, but their growth is not well adapted above that.  

• Planting apricots in well-drained soil is ideal as they don’t like moist roots. The soil should be alkaline with a pH scale of 6.7 to 7.5, it works best. 

• Apricots should be planted in full sun to maximize the yield. Avoid planting them in areas where they collect frost. 

• Apricots are capable of self-pollination. They don’t require any other partner for the process.  

Spacing apricots trees: 

The standard spacing should vary between 20-and 25 feet apart. The spacing is generally based on the height of a standard apricot tree, which can grow anywhere between 20-30 feet tall.  

Plantation: 

• You can purchase apricots as bare-root, container-grown, or baled and bur lapped.  

• Prepare for a planting area in full sun and plant bare-rooted trees in early spring. Container grown or plant balled can be planted in spring or early summer. 

• Adding an all-purpose fertilizer and compost with the soil to the bottom of the tree hole is crucial. 

• Put the tree in the hole at the surface level of the soil surrounding. Then roots should be spread in all directions. 

• Fill the half-hole with suitable soil and a half with organic planting mix or compost. Make sure there are no air pockets in the roots.  

• Create a basin all around the trunk to hold water at the time of watering. Water each day thoroughly and fertilize from time to time.  

Taking care of apricot trees: 

• Taking care of apricot trees is fairly simple. They mostly get what they need from soil, sun, and water. So you should water apricot trees weekly in starting and after that, they wined only infrequent watering.  

• During the time of fruit swelling, keep the soil most so that the fruit reaches its full size.  

• Water should not be high in chlorine, salt, or boron.  

• Feed the tree an all-purpose fertilizer and aged compost. 

• Pruning is the most important factor in taking care of the apricot. Thin out all stems and branches that don’t bear fruit. This will give more sun and space to fruit-bearing young branches. 

• Remove all diseased and broken branches. Branches that are narrow and cannot bear the weight of the fruit should also be removed.  

• Prune in summers and not in winters. Apricots are more prone to bacteria and diseases when pruned in winter. 

How to do thinning apricots: 

It should be done when the fruits are of marble size. After thinning fruits, 2-3 inches should be left between fruits. If you don’t do the thinning of trees, may bear small fruits or no fruits at all. 

Harvest: When and How 

Fruiting of apricots begins after 3-4 years after planting. Harvesting should be done in late summer. To check whether the fruit is ready, hold and give it a gentle twist, if it pulls away easily leaving the stalk behind, it is ready. An apricot that is ripe will be sweet and slightly soft. 

Problems and their control: 

Birds, spiders, moths, insects, bacteria, and fungus are the common problems that are dangerous to fruits or leaves or the whole tree. You can net trees to protect them from birds. For other diseases and bacteria, you can use summer oil, copper oil, or tree-friendly sprays that kill insects, bacteria, and fungi.